Revolving railway-signal



(No Model.)

J. K. TREMAIN.

REVOLVING RAILWAY SIGNAL. No. 351,347. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo JAMES K. TREMAIN, OF MILWAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

REVOLVING RAILWAY-SlGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. 351,347, dated October 19, 1886.

Application tiled January 29, 1586.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES K. TREMAIN, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Railway-Signals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My inventionrelates to revolving railway signals; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction,whereby a shell provided with openings is revolved about a fixed light or lights to alternately show and conceal said light or lights, as will be hereinafter more fully described with refereuce to the accompanyingA drawings, in Which-d Figure l represents a vertical section through a car having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, a detail side elevation showing` a means for bringing the parts in and out of operative relation, and Fig. 3 an under side plan view of the friction-disk. Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a car provided at one end with a vertical shaft, B, the latter having its bearings in the floor a and roof b of said car, and also in brackets C D. The bracket C is secured to timbers c beneath the car and the bracket D to the roof b thereof. That portion of the vertical shaft B that comes within the car is shielded by a casing, E, and suitably secured to the upper end of said shaft is a shell, F, designed to revolve therewith, this shell having its periphery provided with open and closed spaces d d alternately arranged.

lTo the lower end of the shaft B, I connect a disk, G, designed to have its outerunder'face, e, come in frictional contact with a sleeve, H, that is rigidly secured to the car-axle I, so as to revolve therewith. The disk G may be rigidly connected to the shaft B; but I prefer to provide it with a square central opening, f, designed to fit the squared port-ion g of said shaft.

rIhis construction permits the disk to have a vertical play, so as to accommodate itself to any jars occasioned by irregularities in track or other causes.

The shaft B above the car-roof b is provided with a collar, h, and this latter part comes upon the point of a lever, K, that is fulcrurned in a bearing, L, secured to said roof.

To the bracket D are suitably secured lamps Serial No. 190,1f32. (No model.)

or lanterns M, and when the car is in motion the light therefrom is shown in flashes, these flashes being caused by the open and closed portions of the revolving shell F, alternately showing and concealing said lamps or lanterns. The open and closed portions of the shell Fare equal and each of less width than the bracket D, and therefore each closed portion is of insufficient width to obscure or shut out all the light or both lights at once from any given standpoint, and hence when the car is stationary some light will always be visible from both front and rear.

In the day-time, or when it is not necessary or desirable to have the light or lights on the car shown by flashes, the lever K is depressed, and thus the vertical shaft B is elevated to bring the disk G out of frictional contact with the sleeve H.

Though I have shown my invention as applied to a car, it is obvious that the same may be otherwise employed.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A railwaysignal consisting of a fixed light orlights, a shell surrounding said light or lights and having its periphery provided with alter nate open and closed spaces, a vertical shaft rigidly secured at its upper end to the shell, and a disk connected to the lower end of the shaft to come in frictional contact with a revolving medium, as set forth.

2. Arailway-signal consisting of a fixed light or lights, ashell surrounding said light or lights and having its periphery provided with alter'- nate open and closed spaces, a vertically-adjustable shaft rigidly secured at its upper end to the shell, and a disk loosely connected to the lower end of the shaft to have vertical play thereon, and arranged to come in frictional contact with a revolving mediun1,as set forth.

3. Arailway-signal consisting of aiixed light or lights, a surrounding shell having openings upon its periphery and secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft that carries atits lower end a disk arranged to come in frictional contact with a revolving medium, in combination with a lever mechanism for bringing the disk in and out of contact with said revolving niedium, as set forth. g

4. In a railway-signal, a shell having alter- IOO nate open and closed spaces upon its periph-4 ery and arranged to surround a xed light or lights, in combination with a vertical shaft having its .upper end rigidly connected to the shell and its lower end squared, a disk having a squared central opening adapted to t the squared portion of the shaft, and a revolving medium designed to comein frictional Contact with said disk, as set forth.

5. The combination, with a railway-car having a suitable bracket adaptedto support a light or lights, of an adjustable vertical shaft carrying a shellprovided with openings upon its periphery and adapted to surround said light or lights, a casing surrounding the shaft, I5

a disk loosely connected to the lower end of JAMES K. TREMAIN.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERWooD, MAURICE F. FREAR. 

